Keaton Jennings gets Lancashire up and running with a boundary off Jordan Thompson.

At the other end, Ben Coad has just conceded his first runs as Luke Wells squirts a couple down towards third.

This is only Coad's second Championship game of the season after a groin problem kept him out from March until July.

England bowler Matt Fisher has not played since April either, so new ball bowling is an area where the White Rose have struggled this season.

Play has begun at Canterbury and we have had the reassuring sight of Sir Alastair Cook getting off the mark with a lovely push through the covers for four off Matt Quinn.

To think, it's four years almost to the day since his farewell England Test appearance against India at The Oval. His commitment to Essex and the county game is admirable.

The onus is on Hampshire's batters after being put in by Northants skipper Will Young.

It's the usual tidy over from Ben Sanderson before Felix Organ gets the scoreboard moving with three runs from the final delivery.

Josh Davey has the ball in hand for Somerset - four slips are in place.

Five dot balls, then Ben Charlesworth strokes the last elegantly through the covers for four.

That should make him feel good.

Image source, Rex Features

It is a proud day for Jonny Tattersall at Old Trafford as he captains Yorkshire for the first time in a County Championship game - and at Old Trafford, the home of Roses rivals Lancashire.

He is not totally new to the job, having led the team in the One-Day Cup, during which they lost to Lancashire by seven wickets at York.

“It’s always nice to play in a Roses match, and to win one is that bit extra special," he told the Yorkshire website. “But, at the end of the day, it doesn’t bring any more points than a game against Essex, who we have coming up at Headingley (next week)."

As Earth Wind and Fire sang in September: "Golden dreams were shiny days." Let's hope the threatened rain stays away. Here we go.

Image source, BBC Sport

The sun is shining at Old Trafford - as it has done for most of the summer in sunny Manchester - and we are all set for the sixth meeting between these great rivals of 2022.

There is no doubt where the balance of power has been and that is with the Red Rose.

Of the five matches played, Lancashire have won three (2 in the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup), drawn one (County Championship) and there was a tie in the T20 Blast group game at Old Trafford.

But if they are to overhaul Surrey and Hampshire to win the title, there is no margin for error this week as they have to overhaul a 34-point deficit on the Oval outfit. They need a win with lots of bonus points.

As for Yorkshire, they are sixth, 17 points above the bottom two. But with Essex and Surrey to come, they are still looking over their shoulders.

Image source, Getty Images

So Lancashire are set to bat. Having named spinners Matt Parkinson and Tom Hartley in their line-up, there really was no alternative for Dane Vilas at the toss.

However, South Africa skipper Dean Elgar made the same call in the second Test here 11 days ago on the basis he had Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer in his team.

The trouble is the Proteas were bundled out for 151 just after tea on day one and their plan was up in smoke.

Gloucestershire must beat Somerset at Taunton this week if they are to have any chance of retaining their Division One status.

Despite that, they have decided to allow all-rounder Ryan Higgins - who scored 586 Championship runs and taken 28 wickets this season - to join Middlesex on loan, ahead of the start of his four-year contract in 2023.

They will also be without spinner Zafar Gohar, who sustained an elbow injury during the One-Day Cup.

So the County Championship returns after a 39-day break since the red ball was put away on 28 July.

During that time, we've had two Tests, the entire men's and women's Hundred competitions, the Commonwealth Games, virtually the entire school summer holidays and a long, drawn out leadership race for the new Prime Minister.

No wonder county cricket supporters feel there has to be some form of red-ball cricket in the height of summer.

But a word of caution for fans of Premier League football. Think of all the intrigue and drama that this season is creating only for it to go into cold storage during the World Cup.

The gap between the last games in November and the resumption on Boxing Day - 43 days.

Image source, Getty Images

We have ball by ball coverage of all seven games for you today, courtesy of 5 Live Sports Extra and our BBC local radio commentary teams.

Tune in to the game of your choice by clicking on one of the promos at the top of the page and we'll keep you up to date with events elsewhere with regular text updates.

Image source, Rex Features

Hampshire must manage without wicketkeeper Ben Brown because of a broken finger.

Apparently he suffered the injury in the One-Day Cup, but his absence is a bit of a surprise as he was named in Hampshire's 14-man squad on Sunday.

As well as being the leading keeper in Division One with 43 dismissals, Brown's 675 runs at an average of 48 is also the highest among Hampshire's batters.

Aneurin Donald takes over behind the stumps.

With four round of Championship matches to go before the season draws to an end, some counties have taken the opportunity to revitalise their squads by bringing in fresh overseas talent.

Somerset have brought in Pakistan pair Imam ul-Haq and Sajid Khan as they try to avoid being relegated from Division One - and both make debuts in the West Country derby against Gloucestershire.

Image source, Getty Images

Northamptonshire, meanwhile, have recruited South African paceman Lizaad Williams as they look to put a major dent in Hampshire's title ambitions and push on in the hope of a top-four finish.

Defending champions Warwickshire are not involved this week, but India's Mohammad Siraj and Jayant Yadav will be available for the crucial home game against Somerset, starting on 12 September.

Another Indian, batter Shubman Gill, will bolster Glamorgan's batting line-up as they target a Division Two win over Worcestershire to boost their promotion chances - and they also have New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel on board too.

Division One

Hampshire v Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire won the toss and will bowl

Kent v Essex

Kent won the toss and will bowl

Lancashire v Yorkshire

Lancashire won the toss and will bat

Somerset v Gloucestershire

Somerset won the toss and will bowl

Division Two

Derbyshire v Durham

Durham won the toss and will bowl

Glamorgan v Worcestershire

Worcestershire won the toss and will bat

Nottinghamshire v Leicestershire

Leicestershire won the toss and will bowl

After what has been on of the driest, cricket-interruption-free, summers in recent years, we could be in for a few spots of the wet stuff during this week's Championship fixtures.

Here's a snapshot of what we can expect today from BBC Weather - judging by the ominous tone of the first one, I hope spectators at Taunton have remembered to take some rainwear.

We haven't had any County Championship action since 28 July.

In case you have forgotten how things stand - take a look at our scene-setter for the final founds of matches.

Absence, it is said, makes the heart grow fonder.

And after the hurly burly of The Hundred over the last month, it is time to swap the white balls for red and resume the County Championship.

We are poised to start a four-week run of matches that will decide the title and hopefully provide some enthralling action and one or two gripping finishes.

Welcome to our coverage of seven matches. Play - because we are now in meteorological autumn - begins at 10:30.

Image source, Rex Features